Vintage photos show life in Nuevo Laredo, border cities before cartel violence struck

Vintage photos show life in Nuevo Laredo and border cities before cartel violence.

Vintage photos show life in Nuevo Laredo and border cities before cartel violence.

Photo: Laredo Morning Times

Photo: Laredo Morning Times

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Vintage photos show life in Nuevo Laredo and border cities before cartel violence.

Vintage photos show life in Nuevo Laredo and border cities before cartel violence.

Photo: Laredo Morning Times

Vintage photos show life in Nuevo Laredo, border cities before cartel violence struck

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Residents of Nuevo Laredo didn't always have to worry about the brutal violence of drug cartels.

The Department of State has classified the state of Tamaulipas, in which Nuevo Laredo resides, as "Do Not Travel" under the most recent Mexico Travel Advisory. Violent crime, such as murder, armed robbery, kidnapping and extortion are just a few of the many fears the city has had to worry about in recent years.

But in times past, Nuevo Laredo used to be a peaceful place. Families would come together for city activities and Laredoans would nonchalantly cross the border for a day-trip.

That's a far cry from Nuevo Laredo today, with Tamaulipas state seeing a 23 percent homicide increase rate since 2016, according to the Overseas Security Advisory Council. Furthermore, the Federal Bureau of Investigation placed the state of Tamaulipas as the region with the highest rates and risk of kidnapping in the country in 2017.